Riverview Theatre

3910 Granby Street,

Norfolk,
VA23504

I was raised in this theater. My dad was the projectionist. Saw many movies and had all the free popcorn I could eat….lots of great memories. Would love to know if it’s still for sale and would be interested in helping to bring in back.

Tyler10. Would love to talk to you about your experience with the civic and business league. I myself failed to get the owner/realtor to return my calls. It seems other friends of mine have had a similar experience. Let’s talk.

Unfortunately, The riverview I believe is condemned and is an unsafe structure…The last I heard the theatre was selling for $775,000 with the parking lot. The neighborhood that it is in, the civic league doesnt want any sort of music, or restaurnat or even a movie venue in the neighborhood, so it just sits and sits. I had a brilliant business plan for the re-opening of the Riverview, the $$$ was there,
developers, A had such a large group of supporters, but I was ignored, and there it sits…

Hello, this is for High Plains Drifter…I was just wondering what your plans were for the theater. Did you want to make it a revival theater? I too would love to re-open the Riverview and make is something amazing. I would love to hear your ideas.

The Sound of Music ran from April 1965 to December 1967 at the Queens Cinerama theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The venue had recently been converted from 3 strip Cinerama to TODD-AO with Philips DP70 (Norelco AA) projectors and OMA6 sound. The deeply curved screen was 73 feet wide x 31 feet high. Sadly, the theatre closed in 1980.

There may indeed have been longer runs. I know that South Pacific ran for well over 4 years at the Dominion theatre, London.

" 'The Sound of Music' opened at the Riverview theater on April 7, 1965. It ran there for nearly three years reportedly breaking all national records for the longest continuous run of this musical." -- posted by bufffilmbuff on Mar 18, 2008

"This theater is noteworthy as having the longest run on record for any USA theater for the original release of 'The Sound of Music' in 1965." -- posted by JeffreyK on Aug 2, 2008

I’m curious why some people believe the RIVERVIEW was the host theater for the longest running engagment of “The Sound Of Music” and what sources are claiming such? I ask because I’ve done some research on the matter and the info I come up with is “The Sound Of Music” played the RIVERVIEW Playhouse from April 7, 1965 – June 19, 1967. If I’ve done the math correctly that would be a run of 115 weeks, an incredible feat, for sure, but certainly not the longest. My research reveals that longer North American runs took place in Portland (116 weeks), Seattle (117 weeks), Omaha (118 weeks), San Diego (133 weeks), and Toronto (146 weeks).

The 1945 Theatre Catalog has an article showing the plans for the Riverview Theatre. I would assume it was built sometime between 1946 and 1948. Art style is streamline mocerne, it seats 700 and architect were Lublin, McGaughy and Associates. The building includes storefronts to the right of the main entrance. A lobby leads back to an oval shaped foyer, with the auditorium going off to the right. Unfortunately the article did not have any photos of the interior but the plans indicate it had no balcony.

This theater is noteworthy as having the longest run on record for any USA theater for the original release of “The Sound of Music” in 1965. That squeaky clean, happy movie came along at just the right time, with the country still recovering from the shock of President Kennedy’s assassination and the growing cynicism about the war in Vietnam. Norfolk couldn’t get enough of that film, with people going to see it again and again. I recall reading that during its initial run, a girl went to see it once a week, and twice on her birthday. (Now that’s a little obsessive by my standards, but hey, if it made her happy, why not?)

I recall that about 1973, “The Sound of Music” was reissued with the tag line “The wait is over! You can thrill again to the happiest sound in all the world!”, and it again played the Riverview Theater. Newspaper ads at the time boasted that the Riverview held the record for the filmâ€™s initial run in 1965.

I had a friend who worked there as an usher in 1969 and saw the initial roadshow presentation of “Hello, Dolly!” hundreds of times. Later, the Riverview fell on tough times and had to show adult films to keep afloat, and my friend who once worked as an usher at the Riverview later saw “Deep Throat” there. Now that’s a contrast â€" going from exhibiting “The Sound of Music” to “Deep Throat”. (My late friend was quite a character. He dressed in a trenchcoat, hat, and dark sunglasses to the screening of “Deep Throat”.)

About 1978, Old Dominion University leased the building and presented live theater. I was in a production of “Man of La Mancha” there in 1979. Since the theater was built as a movie house and never intended to be a live theater with dressing rooms, it was quite cramped backstage.

I’ve lived in Norfolk all my life and have always wanted to have the Riverview open as a playhouse/theatre. If anyone at all has a way I can get in contact with the owner please let me know. Even if my chances are slim, I’d still like to try.

Here is an interesting item from a site concerning the Riverview area in Norfolk where the theatre was located:

“The Riverview was once a state-of-the-art movie theater. The Sound of Music opened at the Riverview theater on April 7, 1965. It ran there for nearly three years reportedly breaking all national records for the longest continuous run of this musical. Mal Vincent once reported in a Virginian-Pilot article, "The Riverview kept a lone print of the movie so long that the studio, 20th Century Fox, finally threatened court action to retrieve it.

It was common for patrons to return to see the movie many times. In the same article Mal wrote, “Lola Newton, the concession stand worker at the Riverview, told the press that she saw the movie twice a day, six days a week throughout the run—well over 990 times.”

I only saw three movies there…. the road show of HELLO DOLLY (sadly a 35mm print though it was in stereo sound—-I still have the special program that was sold there), NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA, and a reissue of PORGY AND BESS. Wish it could be restored though the odds seem to be against it.

The widescreen, large-format cinematography, 70mm TODD-AO, 6 track stereophonic sound, music filled soundtrack, presentation of “The Sound of Music” was shown as a reserved seat “raodshow” engagement at this theater. It opened April 7, 1965 and played for over a year!

I lived in Norfolk at the time and I remember reading in the papers that either the Riverview or perhaps it was all SOM theaters had someone from Robert Wise, 20th Century Fox and/or TODD-AO check out the theater/s to make sure SOM would be projected and sound as perfect as possible!

“The hills are alive with the sound of music.” Oscar Hammerstein II 1895-1960

Unfortunately, The riverview I believe is condemned and is an unsafe structure…The last I heard the theatre was selling for $775,000 with the parking lot. The neighborhood that it is in, the civic league doesnt want any sort of music, or restaurnat or even a movie venue in the neighborhood, so it just sits and sits. I had a brilliant business plan for the re-opening of the Riverview, the $$$ was there, developers, A had such a large group of supporters, but I was ignored, and there it sits…

The Riverview is closed by is for sale. After being a venue for live theatre for the Old Dominion University Theatre Department under the direction of the late Paul Dicklin, it became a concert venue and a church before closing all together.